Yesterday I told you how I learned about hitting deep from Vic Braden. Today I want to expand on another reason it is good to hit deep.

Let’s back up a bit. When a tennis ball hits a tennis court it slows way down from the speed it was traveling while in the air. If you regularly hit really hard, to be consistent, you most likely have to hit shorter in the court to make sure you don’t hit the ball long. Even if you hit hard, the ball isn’t going nearly as fast by the time it gets to your opponent because it has hit the court and slowed down.

Let’s say you look at this a little differently. Let’s say you didn’t hit the ball nearly as hard but you aimed higher over the net to make sure you got great depth into the court while the ball was in the air. Guess what. The ball was probably going just as fast when it got to your opponent as it was when you hit hard and short.

What are the advantages of this tactic? A.) By not swinging as hard you will have better control, B.) A ball that lands deep in the court forces your opponent to either take the ball on the rise which is a much more difficult shot, or back up way into the back court to hit the ball in their normal strikezone which opens up the entire court for you.

Try hitting controlled deep shots and see what a difficult time it will create for your opponent.